Decoration



Nov. 24, 1942- G. R. cuNNlNs-roN DECORATION Filed Nov. 2, 1939 A/ www j www INVENTOR.

GEORGE Rounmnson BY u/mm M 'W ATTORNEYS ric provides ample fullness for substantially com- 45 Patented Nov. 24, 1942 l Y l y a .I i

UNITED STATI-:s PATENT oFl-lc-E l l nlczl'oonsalolv'- 'l l l l Georgelcunnington, Grosse PointePark,

K signor to National Automotive Fibres, Inc.,

Detroit, Mich., a corporation or Delaware Appueduon Nevember z, 1939, semi No. 302,605 '5 claims. (ol. 154-41) 'I'he present invention relates to the decoration practiced with numerous dinerent apparatuses, o! cloth and more particularly to a new method but for purposes of illustration I have illustrated f termine a relief desian in the frOnUor dre herein a preferred embodiment of an apparatus ilale1 the ttabric bed ted b 1d lor carrying out the present method. This ape pas c o has en eeere y me paratus com rises a e hav relativ ee inl design in Suitable meldble material. i die elementspcorrespodniding the desillleldiidel-p Buch-for example a8 rubber. by the application sign to be formed. It will be appreciated that or pressure threush e elem *0 be decoriei de die elementseorrespond to depressed .per- Heai W5S at the same time aPPiied with the re' tions or' tnedesign and that the spaces between `m0ided i70 the desired ioiiioiii' and was *t the elevated portions of the desired design. The die same time vulcanized tothe fabric in a manner l is prov-1aed wim means for applying suction bettgerlmanently retain the embossed design `tween the die elements. Preferably thev die is brought into lcontact with the cloth'to be deco- This mei-iiod of decoration broddlv ls op' '15 rated and then suction is applied in a manner plicable both to cloth alone and tol cloth after w lormme cloth inwardly mm the spaces M assembly as 8' covering for irilri Panels* tween the die members.- Where the cloth to vbe f m the manufaoiure of trim panels lil the post' decorated has not previously been assembled eliorts were made to provide a simpler embossed with the panel board suitable means may be decoration iii ille trim iaiorio by ooverills lilo provided to-prevent drawing too much cloth'into Panel board with il loos? .ilbrold llidtorlo'l .llll' the spaces; Where the cloth has previously been pregnated or treated with a suitable adhesive assembled t the'mm panel t wm of course be binder. This loose brous material was thereimpossible to draw, too much-cloth mw "me fore in a sense moldable. In order to provide a Y om decorated panel the fibrous material was :first fehleaei? 3f gufngttod: :fr .the molded into a desired outline,4 after which the mm WEL trim fabric was secured over the molded material Preferably the .'dle elements employed sie and caused to conform to its surface curvature. ,y

heated, and if the moldable material is in the Eliorts to mold a moldable material of this type wrm of nvm d mow. bberr s I through the fabric were unsuccessful due to the fact that the tension of the fabric largely Ilat- '73d igllobhv;axgegrgggetihrom tened out the whole, of the moldable material. i'. e use the rubber to rst blow and vulcanize. Inthei According to the present invention I propose to -decorate fabric, either alone or in combinaevent' itil tllgomolddbje ist dllroiiil* tion with trim panels by -a new method which nlala ais u? spec in' n :la rom .rile

me dem e attratti.. .sere-:ae methods known previously. Briefly described, the present method involves the step of initially to the moldable material al least afi' ille polli forming me 4ferriere approximately the desired onvaolod bi1 diotllealeomlie elements' Th design, after which the fabric is moved nto ca 40 eated die e einen s, as w be understood, are sure engagement with the moldable material.v moved inwardly ago'lrist ille fioilii iii d manner m the event that the moldable material is an i0 cause @predetermined 11,10 dine f the midunvulcal'lized blowing rubber stock, as is conlio-ii mdlordlf ieagilirggfuilhegomt in templated herein' this immuno of the :ab ventlon'to provideV a 'method or' decorating cloth lete ex ansion of the rubberous materialwhen oilo'raoi'elizod bv ille lividi formation 0i the itis vulsanized. In the event that the lmoldable oiorri lilio Prodoiermiliod iorm'. ioiiiweii by a material is a loosely aggregated viibrous material moiiiin 0i an adherent moidaiie' material Aimpregnated or treated with an adhesive binder, m1011811 the febrwthe initial formation oi the cloth permitsA a Itis a. turther object of the present invention hm-ply delineated design to be imprmtedthereto manufacture trim panels by a method which ln by avoiding substantial pressure at the peints comprises the steps cf initially adhering a trim o! the design which are to be elevated points in fabric over a panel board. preforlnlng the cloth Ithe completed product. f. into a desired relier design, and then molding a In its broader aspects the invention maybe g5 moidable Imaterial between the cloth andv the -terial Il and the rubber I3.

panel' board while causing the cloth to adhere to the moldable material.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method of decorating fabric characterized by applying a die against the fabric to be decorated, applying suction above the cloth to form the cloth into openings in the die, and

molding a moldable material through the fabric while simultaneously adhering the moldable material to the fabric.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent as the description proceeds, and when taken in conjunction with the accompanying Ydrawing wherein:

Figure l is a fragmentary sectional elevation illustrating the method of decorating fabric where the moldable material is an uncured blowing rubber stock;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary perspective partly in section showing a panel board formed by the present method;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional elevation illustrating the method of manufacture where the moldable material is a treated fibrous material; and V lFigures 4 and 5 are fragmentary sectional views illustrating different types of pad formation'.

Referring rst to Figure l I have illustrated the method of manufacturing a trim panel, al- Y though it will be appreciated that the same method may be employed for decorating a fabric apart from a trim panel. In this gure I have illustrated a panel board l as having applied thereto certain -areas of padding material II, such for example as loosely aggregated cotton. This padding material` may be applied in any desired manner, as for example by covering the entire surface of the panel board .III with cotton, after which certain areas indicated in this ligure as I2 may have the padding material removed therefrom. If preferred, padding material Il may be pre-cut and applied lonly to such areas of the panel board as desired. Preferably` the padding material Il is lightly adhered to the panel board in a manner to prevent its becom-v ing displaced in use.

here a strip or area of rubberousmaterial I3. This material is an uncured blowing rubber stock adapted upon heating to expand considerably and form a porous, soft resilient rubber. Preferably the rubberous material I3 has a backing of paper or sheeting interposed between 'the rubber and the panel board, and this is indicated at Il.

. A trim fabric4 I5 is placed over the panel board I0 in a manner to overlie both the padding ma- The fabric I5 may be any conventional trim fabric, such for example as mohair, broadcloth or the like. Preferably I9 which are provided in a desired'design. Suitable means (not shown) are provided for heating the die elements I3 and may conveniently take the form of heating elements carried within appreciated, of course, that any number may bev provided in accordance with the desired design.

The conduit 2| communicates with a source of reduced pressure of any convenient sort, .and which is accordingly not illustrated herein. Preferably valves are provided for controlling communication between the conduit -2I and the source of reduced pressure.

As will be apparent, the panel assemblyas thus far vdescribed is placed on the support It and the die plate I1 is moved downwardly until the die .elements I9 contact the upper surface of the trim fabric I5. The die is preferably arranged so as to be open only at its bottom. The source of reduced pressure connected to the conduit 2i now withdraws air from the space 23 between the die elements I9 with the result that the fabric I5 is drawn upwardly thereinto. In the present instance the amount of fabric which is drawn up within the die elements I9 depends upon the differential pressure applied, and also upon the amount of full/ness in the fabric I5 as well as the elasticity thereof. Preferably, however, the fabric is brought up between the die elements I! an amount sumcient to permit unrestricted expansion of the rubber stock I3. After the fabric I 5 has been drawn upwardly into the space 23 the die plate I'l is moved further downwardly in a manner to displace most of the rubber stock from beneath the die elements I9 into a thickened portion adjacent the die elements and intermediate the same. The support I6 and die plate I1 are retained in this position for a substantial interval of time, sufficient to cause the lrubber stock I3- to first, blow into a porous rubber and then to undergo substantial vulcanization. The vulcanization adheres the fabric permanently to the rubber, particularly at the points directly be' neath the die elements I3, with the result that the decoration thus imparted to thev fabric is substantially permanent. Due to the fact that the fabric has initially been formed into substantially the desired contour, the rubberous material I3 expands freely and forms a much higher and softer riser than in methods previously known. In the event that only a shallow riser is desired, it will be appreciated that the method is equally useful, for the reason that such friser may be obtained with substantially less rubber stock. i

In Figure 2 I have illustrated a fragment of the completed panel, and in this figure the panel board I0 and fabric I5 arev'shown united, as indicated at 2t, by a relatively thin film of rubber. It should be noted particularly that the fabric I5 and the panel Ill are united by a relatively thin film of substantially unblown rubber,

the supporting plate I1 in a manner to cause 16 for the reason that the pressure of the die elements I! prevents substantial blo lor sponging of the rubber.A On the other han the rub ,ber as indicated -at 2l is fully expanded with the result that a relatively high riser is formed. The method has thus far been described in connection with the use of an uncured blowing cieraad by. substantially square earners, whererubber stock. It is equally useful, however, where the moldable material employed is of an entirely dlfferentnature.

In Figure 3 I have -illustrated a method o f manufacture in which the trim panel Il and the fabric I5 have interposed therebetween a continuous covering of padding material 30. This padding material'may be in the form of loosely aggregated cotton substantially like the padding material il illustrated in Figure lj or it may be other fibrous material, such for example as suitable wadding', Cellufome, or the like. Cellufome is a trade name applied to a fibrous sheet material having substantial body, so that while it may be broken down by pressure, it comterial.-

as if the material is readily compressible, it will tend to round -off^at the corners. I have illustrated thesetwof'diiferent conditions in Figures 4 and s. Thus in Figure 4 I have indicated a' riser 32 having substantially squared corners 33. This is the type of riser .that will result' from the employment of result from the employment of a relatively softer and more compressible brous presses only substantially at the zone of pressure application. 'The padding material 30 in the zone 3l underlying the die elements I9 preferably is treated or impregnated'with a suitabl/ adhesive. Numerous adhesives are available for this purpose, although I prefer toemploya thermo-setting adhesive. This is for the reason that in many applications the trim fabric l5 is under 'substantial tension while the die I! is molding the moldable material at 3|. If thermoplastics are employed, these thermoplastic materials/will soften by heat and no' substantial bond is obtained until cooled. It is, of course, impractical to retain the die elements I9 in forming contact with the material until the material is cool. It. is possible, of course, to employ thermoplastic materials having certain desirable characteris-l tics, and in some instances. as will be recognized, materials may be employed which do not depend upon change in temperature. Thus, if the padding material in the zone 3l is rendered very tacky, the fabric I5 may be firmly adhered to the panel board I0 without the application ol.' heat, and will be retained in molded form until the adhesive thoroughly sets. I mention the above points so that thosev skilled in the art may practice the present invention without difiiculty, but I desireto emphasize the fact that the invention is considered to bebroadly novel. irrespective of themethod employed to secure the depressed portion of the design in the fabric to lthe panel board. A

rljhe apparatus employed in practicing the method with the adherent moldable brous material at 3l in Figure 3 is in all respects similar to the apparatus employed in Figure l.

The character of the design imparted to the cloth will of course in large measure depend upon the character of the moldablev material. It may be pointed out that the rubber i3 in Figure l f and the 'adherent fibrous material 3| in Figure 3 have in common the two essential properties, namely that they are moldable and that they are 4adherent to the fabric.4 The material at 3i in Figure 3 is of course essentially compressible, whereas the rubber stock in Figure 1 is essentially incompressible. Thus the initial molding of the rubber stock in Figure l is accompanied by a definite ow of the material from beneath the die elements I9 into the space between the die elements, whereas the material at 3| in Figure 3 is essentially compressed without any plastic flow of the material.

I have mentioned a few fibrous materials 'which may be employed in the method as illustrated in Figure 3, and it will further bey appreciated that the result obtained will depend upon the -speciic characteristics of the fibrous material employed. Thus if the material exhibits sub- I stantial stillness, the riser formed will be char- 76 5. Apparatus for decorating trim panels com..

material, such for example ascotton. Y

While I have illustrated and described several specific embodiments of my invention. it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various additions, modifications, omissions, combinations and substitutions may be made which will be within the spirit and scope of What I claim as my invention is:

a relativelyxstiif fibrous ma-4 my invention as defined by the appended claims.

C1. Apparatus Afor decorating trim panelscomprising a supporting platen, a relatively movable vulcanizing die comprising a plate having projecting die elements defining laterally closed,

open bottomed recesses, means for heating said die elements, and means for-'exhausting air from said recesses when said die is moved toward said platen so as. to seal the bottoms of said recesses against the trim panels to be decorated.

2. Apparatus for decorating trim panels comprising a supporting platen, a die having one or more laterally closed, deep, open-bottomed re-' cesses, said die and platen being relatively mov- -able toward each other in two steps whereby said'die may rst engage the surface of a fabric covered panel on said platen, means for exhausting air from said recesses so as to draw the fabric only partly into ls ald recesses, said platen v n and die being thereafterfurther movable towardl each other, whereby after drawing the .fabric partly into said recesses, riser material between said panel and fabric may be molded or shaped so `as to extend into said recesses to engage the fabric therein.'

3. Apparatus for decorating trim panels comprising a nat platen for supporting a fabric covered panel boardV thereon with the fabric cover upwardly.' a heated die above said platen having deep, downwardly open design recesses therein, power means formoving saidf die-and platen toward and away from each other, means for applying suction to said recesses to draw said fabric cover only partly into said recesses,

in smoothly rounded beads, thereby tensioning said fabric, said power means being effective thereafter to press said die and the fabric cover drawn thereinto ilrmly against a heat-setting moldable design material between the panel board and fabric cover. said heated die supplying heat to set the moldable material and to ad.

- here said fabric cover thereto.

4. Apparatus for'decorating trim panels comprising a rigid support for a trim panel, a heated'v when said die is moved toward said support so` as to seal the bottom of said recess against the trim panel on said support.

4 2,303,198 o l tioned means being effective to press said die prising a platen for supporting a fabric covered panel board with the fabric cover upwardly, a

' heated die above said platen having a downand the fabric cover firmly against a heat-setting moldable material interposed between the panel board and fabric cover, said heated die supplying heat to set the moldable material and to adhere said fabric cover thereto.

GEORGE R. CUNNlNGTON. 

